Five Things

Friday, April 1, 2011

Ah, I'm back! I knew I would be by the end of the week. I've finally got a moment to breathe, so I'm relaxing, rocking to the new Britney Spears CD (have you heard it?) and finally, finally blogging.

As I posted last week, I recently attended the Roberto Capucci Art into Fashion exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It was, in a word, amazing. Capucci was born in 1930, and by the mid-1950's had risen in the Fashion world as a well respected and vied after designer. His styles are intricate and beautiful, with an astounding use of material and color. Unfortunately, pictures of the dresses were not allowed, but I knew I had to leave with some sort of proof of what I had witnessed. That being said, I picked up a pack of postcards in the museum gift shop, which showcase some of my favorite looks. Here, I'll post five of nine of my favorite dresses, in no particular order.

Except my absolutely favorite. That will be posted in Part 2 sometime next week! Here we go.

1.

This dress is a 2009 recreation of Capucci's 1956 original, entitled the Bocciolo or Bud Dress. The fabric is silk taffeta. I love the tight empire waist contrasted with the playfulness of the very full skirt. I'm not sure why, but I could picture Blake Lively wearing this to an awards show (or someone of her similar size!)

2.

My original reaction to this dress was: "Whoa. Talk about color blocking." It appears as though Capucci knew about this trend even in 1992, when he created this Sculpture Dress out of silk satin. Despite the fact that it's main bodice is made up of my favorite color (teal!), I still love this dress, with its playful and bright accents that bring your attention right to the hip. Whether or not I can actually picture someone wearing it is to be determined. That, however, does not mean it is not beautiful in and of itself.

3.

I absolutely love the cascading colors of this gown. Again, Capucci does not want to distract from the beauty of the woman, making sure to still include a flattering waist against the eccentric body of the dress. This creation is entitled Pagoda, for obvious reasons, and was another one of his 1992 creations. Made out of pleated silk taffeta, I can only imagine how absolutely fun it would be to wear a dress like this.

4.

This dress was constructed in 1982 and was aptly entitled Arancia or Orange Sculpture Dress. According to Capucci, he wanted the dress to give off the illusion of peeling back an orange before you go to eat it. I cannot help but feel that a dress like this is almost coming to life. It would move with whoever was wearing it in such delicate ways, with the colors meshing together to create an unearthly effect.

5.

Capucci was apparently inspired to create this dress after watching the ripples that occur after one throws a rock into water. The Nove gonne or Nine Dresses dress is comprised of nine layers of fabric making up the bottom half and train of the dress. Created in 1956, I believe that it was one of the first dresses of Capucci's that began to garner him recognition in the fashion world. And you can see why--it's beautiful! As someone in the museum next to me mused, "Can't you just see Audrey Hepburn in that?"

I'm not at all surprised that Capucci's designs were featured in the Philadelphia Art Museum. The intricacies of the dresses, vibrant colors that they are comprised of, and structural creativity make them really more of art than they are fashion. However, the two are not mutually exclusive, hence the name of the exhibit. Any woman in the past that has worn one of these creations must consider herself amazingly lucky.

This is only part one. Part two will be coming in a few days, I promise you! No more seven day hiatuses are planned for Five Things at the moment.

The scans aren't great, but you can click the pictures for larger images if you'd like to study them more closely. I hope you enjoyed this enough to come back for more...

Monday, March 28, 2011

To my three dear followers:

I know. It's been a week, and I haven't been around. But you must know that it's crunch time of Spring Semester and I am boggled under twenty pages of writing and many, many more pages of reading. I promise that by the end of the week I will be back with a mega post about the Fashion Exhibit I attended at the art museum (which was, by the way, amazing!)

Only a month until the semester is over, and then you will have so much of me, you'll miss these periods of absences.

Monday, March 21, 2011

Well, today is definitely Monday. Not only is it raining, but I slept through my morning class (whoops). Then when I went to pour myself a bowl of Cheerio's, we didn't have any milk left in the apartment. At that point, I decided to grab a granola bar and climb back in bed, which is where I'm blogging from now. Nothing like waking up and then deciding to delay the start of your day another hour or so.

I'm not surprised that I slept so late though; I'm currently re-fueling after my trip to Boston this week. Turns out Boston and Philadelphia, despite being on the same coast, are not close. The six hour Amtrak ride from 30th Street Station to Back Bay was absolutely grueling. Someone that I was waiting on line with beforehand described it by saying that, "after a while, you just kindof go numb." Well, that definitely happened. I was numb. But I couldn't sleep. I took the Megabus back, which wasn't half as awful, and he got us there a full 40 minutes earlier than he was supposed to, making the trip just barely five and a half hours.

Despite the travel, it really was a great weekend. I got to see some of my best friends (whose presence in my life was desperately needed) and meet a lot of new people. We had a great time just walking around the city, getting lunch, and then hanging out at my friend Matt's apartment at night. There were five of us visiting, so the living room was a site to see with four blow up mattresses littering the floor.

Anyway, enough about my life and my weekend and on to the good stuff: the lists. Here are five songs that I can not stop listening to, no matter how hard I try.

1. Kanye West-All of the Lights
I've been a Kanye West fan for a while; his first CD (especially the song "We Don't Care") is still in my car and more often than not is blaring in the summer. He may not be a great role model, but his songs are good, fun and catchy. I just love the beat on this one...and I pretty much love any song that features Rihanna on the hook.

2. Glee Cast- Get it Right
I think we've established on here before that I'm a major Gleek. That being said, once they did original songs, I fell in love with them. There is nothing that makes me happier than Lea Michele belting something out. Her voice is entrancing.

3.Arcade Fire- We Used to Wait
Arcade Fire is definitely one of my favorite bands. Since Neon Bible, they've created amazing songs that are original and fun. They're not synthesized like so many other things are these days either, which is totally refreshing. This song is one of my favorites of theirs, and has been on every playlist I've made since October. Plus...they won Album of the Year at the Grammy's! They were the clear underdogs, but they deserved it.

4. John Mayer-Free Fallin'
Without a doubt, one of my favorite songs of all time. I know that the original version, by Tom Petty, is amazing, but can you honestly deny John Mayer's voice? He performed this song last summer at the concert I attended, and it was the first time he'd played it throughout the tour. I swear, it was like he knew I was waiting for it. Whenever the day is rainy or my mood is down, tihs song immediately goes on.

5. Jason Mraz- You and I Both
Throwback? Yes, please. This song will never get old. Jason Mraz was slated to be a One-Hit Wonder with this one, but he definitely pulled through and came out on top. The entire rest of this CD is amazing, and his new stuff is great, too. This song just makes me happy. I can't help but smile and sing along. You probably can't either. Admit it, you know every word.

So there it is: five songs that will probably get me through this rough, rough day that is ahead. Hopefully it's a fluke and the bad-day blues will go away!

After a great weekend, I'm ready for (hopefully) a great week ahead. I'm also planning on attending a show called "Art into Fashion" at the Philadelphia Museum of Art this upcoming weekend, so expect a huge post about that! I'll be back before then, though.... see you soon!

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Alright guys, this isn't a list. But I cannot contain my excitement! I just found out that I will be spending my summer in Los Angeles, California interning for a Publishing company. There's a 5% chance that this will still fall through, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it all works out! I'm beyond excited. I wish I could go now!

I'm ready to find out if they do, in fact, have more bounce in California. Now, off to watch copious amounts of the OC to get into the mood.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Hi guys! I'm really excited because today I actually ventured out to class and what not without a jacket! I don't know if that makes you guys happy, but it sure does make me smile. Spring is finally, finally coming. That being said, I think it's time to start adding some color to my wardrobe, and my life.

I wish you all could see my outfit right now: dark skinny jeans, a black tank top, and a dark grey J. Crew sweater with black buttons. To top it all off, my nails are an amusingly dark blue. Monochromatic for the win! But such is my winter wardrobe--drab.

Personally, I think the best way to add some color to an otherwise neutral wardrobe is a bright purse. They're the perfect accessory that go with every outfit, and a girl can never have too many. So here they are, five of my favorite eye-popping purses of the season.

1. Leatherette Matelassé Handbag from Forever 21, $25.80
I can't say it enough: I. Love. Quilted. Bags. I think there is something so sophisticated and regal about them. I'm hoping that by the time I'm fifty...maybe sixty...I'll have saved up enough to purchase my own, real quilted Chanel bag. Until then, I'll have to find my fix other places, like Forever 21. This adorable quilted cross-body is a great pink color: neutral, while still adding color. This bag (and its price) is perfect for anyone not totally looking to commit to the bright bag.

2. Cooperative Turnlock Tote from Urban Outfitters, $69.00
I can't get over this deep blue color; I think it's absolutely beautiful. Plus, it's nice and spacious, big enough to carry your Macbook and a few other things, as well. Plentiful pockets and a nice turnlock closure make this the person bag to take to class with you... or out for some shopping and lunch with the girls.

3. Pocket Trim Rucksack from ASOS, $62.76
How fun is this backpack?! It's a perfect color for Spring and a perfect addition to your school day uniform. It gives army chic a whole new name, allowing you to combine multiple trends and be seriously on top of your game. Plus, I have a soft spot for adorable backpacks. They put such a juvenile spin on things, in a good way. They make me feel like I'm in third grade again!

4. Linea Pelle Hobo bag from Target, $29.99!
Guys, this bag is from Target. Target! That means not only is it affordable, but very easily accessible, too. If you try telling me there's no Target within twenty minutes of your house, I'm not sure I'll believe you. That being said, I love this bag. It's got a fun silhouette, especially in an era where it seems like cross body bags are taking over the world. A girl needs a solid shoulder bag every once in a while. Plus, this color is adorable. Love it!

5. Cosmo quilted leather shoulder bag by Marc by Marc Jacobs via Net-a-Porter, $300
.....aaaand for today's splurge, we've got Marc Jacobs in the left corner. Three hundred dollars....I know. But seriously, how adorable is this bag? The color is absolutely electric (if you couldn't tell, that's one of my favorite adjectives) and is sure to grab literally everyone's eye. In a good way. I'm imagining myself walking down the streets of New York and getting complimented left and right for this bag. The green emerald in the middle adds a second pop of color, and the strap can be tucked in to make it a clutch. Swoon. I love me some yellow.

Monday, March 14, 2011

Usually time changes, jet lag and things of the sort don't really bother me. I have to say though, Daylight Savings time is really screwing with me this year. I mean, I've spent a huge chunk of time in my bed since Saturday because I can't get a handle on the new season. Plus, it was still light out at seven o'clock tonight! Usually that makes me happy (summer is my favorite season), but tonight it just made me depressed. I had to check the clock and frantically thought to myself: where did the day go?

Then I promptly fell asleep for an hour and a half nap. Ah, the productive things I'm capable of. That being said, I don't really have time to make an intricate list today, especially because I'm really behind on a paper that I have to hand in on Wednesday. However, I thought I'd use Five Things as a procrastination tool right now and put up a post. Briefly, here are five things that I'm really excited for right now:

1. I've taken up swimming. Everyone always says that it's one of the best workouts you can possibly do, and this season I'm really trying to be conscious of my body. Not so much the way it looks in a mirror, but the way that it operates and the things that I'm putting in it. Therefore, I've started eating much healthier food and I've been really good at workout lately. Today was my second day swimming and I even saw an improvement just from Saturday! However, I can't believe I used to actually be a swimmer. My endurance is absolutely shot! Hopefully I can build it up once again...
2. I'm going to Boston this weekend for one of my best friend's birthdays! He goes to school out there and a bunch of us are heading down to celebrate. I'm also hoping to see one of my girlfriends, Rachel, for lunch on Saturday and...possibly some shopping?
3. I need to start doing some outfit posts. However, in order for me to start enjoying the outfits I'm wearing, the sun needs to come out! Slowly but surely the temperature is rising, which means that I'll also start experimenting more and be willing to put up some outfits that I'm wearing. Stay tuned.
4. There are only six weeks left in the semester! Can you believe that? It's going to fly...hopefully. I cannot wait to be back in Upstate New York, cuddling with my mom.
And last but not least...
5. I'm waiting on an admissions decisions from a program called the University of Dreams. They're an internship placement program, which means that if I'm accepted, they will help me find and guarantee me placement at an internship that I approve. The most exciting part of all? The internship would be in Los Angeles. I might be spending my summer there! I find out by Friday and literally every time my blackberry goes off with an e-mail, I hope it's from them.

But then I check it, and it's not. It's something along the lines of my father: "Did U set your clocks forward? Don't forget."